By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Ten pitches in the first inning is an economical way to start the game.
The three-up, three-down beginning of the day for Burlington Bees starter Quinn Wilfong in Sunday’s Prospect League game against the Decatur Bean Ballers set a tone for him, and his team, in the 6-1 win at Community Field.
Wilfong (2-0) allowed two hits and one unearned run in 5 ⅔ innings for the Bees (7-10), who were playing at home for the first time in eight days.
It started in the first inning for Wilfong, a right-hander who pitched at Florida State College at Jacksonville this season. He retired Misael Maldonado, who popped out on the first pitch of the game, then struck out Matthew Novominsky and got Oneill Feliz on a fly out to end the inning.
“I feel like that always sets you off on the right foot,” Wilfong said. “Keeping your pitch count down, and getting ahead early, really helps.”
Wilfong gave up a run in the second inning when his two-out error allowed Jackson Miller to score, then retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings. He struck out four of the last seven hitters he faced, and his day ended at 86 pitches when he walked Feliz with two outs in the sixth inning.
“When he gets ahead, and he’s really good, he keeps that pitch count down,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “When he can do that, he can go deeper into the game. Even when he did fall behind, he was making quality pitches to get back into the count.”
Wilfong threw just 15 ⅓ innings at FSCJ this season, posting a 19.96 ERA in 11 appearances. He has a 3.27 ERA in three appearances with the Bees.
Wilfong said he has learned a lot so far this summer.
“These first few appearances, I’ve learned getting ahead with strikes is the most important thing,” he said. “With the start of this game, I wanted to be heavy fastball early, work with change-ups, and once they see me and hit me, start working backwards on them. I need off-speed to land for strikes, and for my fastball to be direct and aggressive.”
The Bees put pressure on the Bean Ballers (7-10) in the middle innings.
Burlington took a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Troy Peltz singled home Lucas Krebs. Juan Fernandez’s two-run double extended the lead in the fourth, then Peltz hit a 392-foot home run off the scoreboard in right-center field in the first for a 5-1 margin. Dalton Miller’s sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Fernandez with the final run.
Talon Jennings closed the game for the Bees with 3 ⅓ scoreless innings, striking out four, to record his first save of the season.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Wilfong said. “It was perfect today.”
“We’re starting to string together hits and coming through with guys on base,” Oreskovich said. “And I think our pitching has been really good for the most part — when we’ve struggled, it’s been early in the game, but guys settle in. It’s starting to click a little bit for us.”
Photo: Bees starting pitcher Quinn Wilfong allowed just two hits in 5 2/3 innings in Sunday’s win over Decatur. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)
Published
June 15, 2026
